


Answers

by therune



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-15
Updated: 2012-04-15
Packaged: 2017-11-03 17:12:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/383892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therune/pseuds/therune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, you spend your life searching for an answer, only to discover that you never actually  wanted to find it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Answers

**Author's Note:**

> Be warned: this is dark.   
> No, really.

Lies are there to make life smoother, to make life easier. Lies wrap around rough edges to prevent harm. Lies wrap the jarring truth in soothing darkness. Lies make ugly truths beautiful.  
Except, when the truth isn't ugly. Then, lies are made to hurt. They cut like knives, crawl under your skin and chill you to the bone. They laugh, they sneer, they smirk. They are cruel and vain and cause you nothing but pain.  
But then, sometimes the truth is harsher than any lie could have been. When even the cruelest lie would be a comfort, the truth all too often breaks free.

Jane has finally found Red John, has found countless moles, sleeper agents, found dozens of corpses and dozens of red smilies on the wall.  
And after all this time, Red John is unremarkable. He looks bland; normal hair, normal face, normal body, normal clothes.  
But his eyes - his eyes belong to a monster. That is why he wears glasses, proably.  
Jane steels himself. His voice does not crack, his hand with the gun does not shake.  
"Why?" he asks.  
"Oh, my dear Patrick. Are you sure you want to know? Why I did what I did? Why I did what I did to your wife, your child?"  
"Yes," Jane spits out.  
"To play with you, of course. You were fun back in the days, but you needed.... a focus. A goal. It's no fun playing when your opponent doesn't have his heart in the game. Then, it was ...more fun. You were adorable, trying to catch me, running around with that team of yours. But adorable wasn't enough. I wanted someone who played after my rules. Who did not care who he hurt to get what he wants, who does not care about the laws of men and gods, who does what he does without petty restrictions. And you have developed beautifully. You are my masterpiece, Patrick. My nemesis. My little Sherlock. It has been fun. In the end, after I shot Teresa, it really was good. You were magnificent. You were driven, focused: all you wanted was to kill me. And here you are."  
Red John laughs, and it is a thin, weak sound.  
"And now, Patrick, quid pro quo. Answer me a question."  
Red John pushes his glasses up his nose.  
"Was it worth it?"  
Jane pulls the trigger.  
He doesn't answer.  
He's not sure if he had told a lie or told the truth.  
He doesn't know which one would have been crueler.


End file.
